Game Ratings:
OVERALL: 7

Box Scan

Introduction:

This cartridge is a port of the Midway arcade hit, which can be described as the predecessor to NBA Jam. This game takes the sport of basketball and adds its own twist: in this two-on-two game there are no fouls, meaning the players on both sides can really go at it with each other, punching, shoving, doing whatever it takes to win the game. The NES received a port of this title and while it doesn't make the playoffs it still turns out to be a good b-ball contest.

Gameplay:

When you begin the game, you have a choice of one of four teams, which have no real difference among them other that jersey color. You then pick one of eight players to control, each with different strengths such as better shooting, better defense, and so on. The computer randomly picks your partner for you, after which your team takes to the hardwood for some hard-hitting hoops against the other team. For the most part it's standard basketball fare, with 3-point shots, slams dunks, and so on. You and your partner have to really work together to put up a fight against the opposing team. You only control your player, the computer controls the other, but you can tell your CPU teammate to pass or shoot the ball. Don't forget there are no fouls in this game. When you're on defense, you can actually throw a punch and deck the other team to get the ball or prevent them from scoring. Or you can take them down with a flying tackle. If you're feeling especially mean, you can take a flying lunge and actually pull the other players' shorts down. There are other hazards, such as debris on the court that can trip you up. Simply score the most points at the end of four quarters to win the game.

Graphics & Sounds:

The graphics are good, pretty close to the coin-op. The sprites have some nice detail to them, along with some small details to differentiate them. The animation is well done, especially after you nail them or grab their shorts. Some flicker does pop up when too many sprites bunch together, but it's nothing serious. There's also some nice touches, like the backboard shattering after a hard dunk, the spectators cheering, and more. This port does feature the cut scenes from the arcade original that play after every score, and they look good as well. The background music only has one tune that sounds like the coin-op, but it is pretty nice to listen to and never gets old. Some of the cut scenes have snippets of other basketball tunes wehich are also fun to listen to. The sound effects aren't as good, sounding more like generic NES FX heard in other games. None of the voice clips from the arcade game made it over, though.

Controls:

The controls may seem a little complex at first, but once you get them down it's a breeze to control your player. Switching between offense and defense is no problem, and doing the special flying lunge is not hard after some practice. Communicating with you teammate is no problem as well. Just try not to get the buttons confused, or you may throw a three point shot from clear across the court.

Challenge & Playability:

For the most part the gameplay in Arch Rivals is pretty solid. The action flows at a pretty good pace and never really slows down. The game also charms you with it's funny animations. As far as the challenge level goes, the computer players are not that difficult to beat. They may seem hard at times, but most of the time you'll have very little trouble with them. For the most part, your teammate can handle himself okay, though he sometimes doesn't make the plays he should. Of course this game is more fun when two players go at it. While this is a very good port, serious b-ball fans may be disappointed. There's no season mode, no tournament, and very little strategy, just a quick 15-minute jam session with two players. Once the final buzzer sounds, that's it, the game's over. Eventually playing the same teams and players over and over does wear thin. This is definetly a game for two players only.

Conclusion:

At the final buzzer Arch Rivals proves to be very faithful to the arcade game as well as a decent basketball title. Much of the arcade was able to fit into this game pak, sacrificing only a few things like the voice clips. This cartridge is a fun fast-paced contest that's easy to play and get into, as well as fun to watch. Plus it's just fun to knock your opponents around with out having to put up with fouls. The lack of replayability and depth does hurt the game somewhat, and you'll mainly get enjoyment playing this game in short spurts. But for quick b-ball games with a lot of mayhem, Arch Rivals still makes the cut. Arch Rivals isn't a champion but it still does the sport proud.

- Review posted on April 24, 2006

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